Chicks Give Back - National Multiple Sclerosis Society

Chicks Give Back - National Multiple Sclerosis Society

Woman on a Mission

The Cherry City Chicks choose a new charity to support each month. For the month of August 2016, they chose The National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS) because Chick Robyn MacKillop was diagnosed with the disease 24 years ago. The NMSS has programs and services for those affected by MS. They seek to help make life as good as possible with things such as education, mobility services, and social and emotional support. There is not a cure currently for MS, but the Society has been funneling funds into research for the last 25 years and are seeing progress.

Robyn has attended seminars and activities hosted by the NMSS. She herself has a fabulous team of doctors and they’ve given her medication which is currently helping a lot. While her condition can be “maddening and frustrating” as she put it “it doesn’t change who I am.”

What is MS?

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a debilitating disease that affects the central nervous system including the brain and the spine. It can cause problems with vision, balance, muscle control, as well as other basic body functions. In Robyn’s case she has spent the last four years in a wheelchair. While MS isn’t a death sentence is can alter a person profoundly and no two people’s struggles are exactly alike. One of the greatest difficulties in treating and eventually curing a disease like MS is that no two people present exactly the same way.

How can I help?

The NMSS has numerous activities geared toward fundraising including walks, runs, and biking. You can support these activities either by participating and collecting donations or by supporting a participant or team. You can also help raise awareness by becoming an MS advocate and researching the issues facing people living with MS. One such issue that the NMSS features on their website is the issue of Medicaid and expanding it to include more comprehensive care for those living with a disability.

Robyn says sometimes the simplest thing you can do is offer to help someone who is clearly struggling. That little act of kindness might mean the world to them.